It is believed that APAR stands for ‘Annual Performance Appraisal Report’.
As the name suggests it is not ‘Five Yearly Performance Appraisal Report’.
Therefore annual appraisal should be conducted annually.
The bosses in the establishment are responsible for conducting it annually and in time.
Every entry and more importantly every adverse entry in APAR or ACR should be communicated well in time to the concerned employee/servant.
If your service record is ‘Excellent’ and has been recorded as ‘Poor’ and you have record to prove then the adverse entries should be changed.
If you have already proved then you need to peruse it as per service and conduct rules
of your establishment.
You may find the following judgment of apex court relevant and useful.
Supreme Court of India
Sukhdev Singh vs Union Of India & Ors. on 23 April, 2013
https://indiankanoon.org/doc/9665019/
“the very purpose of writing annual confidential reports would be frustrated.’
“With utmost respect, we are of the opinion that the judgment of U.P.Jal Nigam(supra) cannot held to be applicable only to its own employees. It has laid down a preposition of law.”
“concluded that every entry in the ACR of a public service must be communicated to him within a reasonable period whether it is poor, fair, average, good or very good entry. ‘
“In our opinion, the view taken in Dev Dutt that every entry in ACR of a public servant must be communicated to him/her within a reasonable period is legally sound and helps in achieving threefold objectives. First, the communication of every entry in the ACR to a public servant helps him/her to work harder and achieve more that helps him in improving his work and give better results. Second and equally important, on being made aware of the entry in the ACR, the public servant may feel dissatisfied with the same. Communication of the entry enables him/her to make representation for upgradation of the remarks entered in the ACR. Third, communication of every entry in the ACR brings transparency in recording the remarks relating to a public servant and the system becomes more conforming to the principles of natural justice. We, accordingly, hold that every entry in ACR – poor, fair, average, good or very good – must be communicated to him/her within a reasonable period.”